Begum Jaan’s trailer review: Vidya Balan is compelling and powerful

The wait is finally over. Yes! Vidya Balan is back with the award winning director Srijit Mukerji’s film, ‘Begum Jaan’. Vidya’s fans have been eagerly waiting for this movie and once again she hypnotizes us with her thrilling performance. The trailer is beyond expectations and it keeps you hooked till the end.

Set against the backdrop of the 1947 partition of India, the movie begins with Actor Amitabh Bachchan’s eloquent monologue in which he describes the situation during partition. The trailer shifts to Vidya Balan, who runs a brothel and is famous by the name Begum Jaan.

She is admired by her workers as along with work, she has taught them to value their feelings. The ladies share joys together, and have built a world of their own.

But the Partition brings in a threat for the Begum and her workers. The brothel house is now situated on the de facto border, the LOC. Hence, Begum and her workers are asked by the government authorities to vacate the house as half of it lies in India, and half in the newly formed Pakistan.

Faced with an existential threat and crisis, Begum and her workers swear that they won’t leave the house at any cost. Thus a battle ensues between the fallen and the powerful segment of the society, and the women vow to retain everything which righteously belongs to them.

The movie is a first of its kind, and it attempts to showcase the problems which downtrodden women faced during partition. Along with Vidya Balan, actor Gauhar Khan, Pallavi Sharda and Naseeruddin Shah can also also seen in pivotal roles. Actor Chunky Pandey essays a caricature which is very different from his previous roles and his part is something to look out for.

This Mukesh Bhatt production is a Hindi remake of the Bengali film ‘Rajkahini’ which was also directed by Srijit Mukerji and Vidya Balan gets into the shoes of actress Rituparna Sengupta. The film seems promising and will hit the theatres on April 14,2017.